A Dangerous Pastime
by Senashenta
Summary: Zach Hoffner has been a Herald for years, and now, suddenly, he's hit the case of his career. A serial killer is stalking the streets of Haven, his boss is always on his case and now Zach has to train his new partner too. Why can't he catch a break?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** Valdemar and concepts belong to Mercedes Lackey; this fic and original characters belong to their author.

**Notes:** Long story short, this is basically Valdemar only in the equivalent of 1998 or so, thusly some things are different than they were. Other than that, I didn't screw with things like in _In Dreams_. Haha.

**A DANGEROUS PASTIME**  
**Prologue  
By Senashenta**

Zach Hoffner surveyed the mess that had—at one time—been a hotel room with his lips compressed into a grim line. One hand hung at his side, while the other played with his cigarette lighter, flicking the device open and then closed again in a rhythm that had been born a long time before and was now a nervous habit. He wished he hadn't worn his trench coat today, despite the rain that was pouring outside and the somewhat conspicuous nature of his uniform.

_:You wanted to hide your Whites, remember?:_ Jaydan reminded him.

_:I'm aware of that, Jay.:_ He replied, _:but it's hot as hell in here.:_

That was because the thermostat had been cranked up to the maximum the furnace would allow without exploding in an inferno of steel shrapnel. The effect of the temperature spike was such that Zach could practically see steam rising from the carpet, which was, of course, soaked in human blood, and the stench of the as of yet unidentified human corpse was beginning to make his eyes burn.

Ignoring it, he attempted to focus on the crime scene itself.

It was reminiscent of a slaughter house.

The body itself was sprawled half-on and half-off the bed, and the majority of the blood in the room was pooled and congealing in the carpet under it. The rest of the life-sustaining liquid was splashed around the place, having been thrown against the walls and furniture in what could, was one sick enough mentally, be seen as an artistic manner. This, naturally, meant that he was more than aware of the fact—and he sent a mental warning when Jaydan began to say something sarcastic directly following that particular thought.

The most obvious thing about the scene was that it was nothing less than a murder. Generally, people didn't pummel themselves into a bloody pulp, Zach thought wryly. At the same time, he couldn't see a weapon in the room, and the kind of beating this person had sustained couldn't have been done with fists alone. Granted, he wasn't with the crime scene unit and thusly hadn't had a chance to really go over the room, so there might have been something he wasn't seeing outright.

He sighed. _Just what I wanted, a murder to postpone my vacation._

_:You like your job, don't you?:_

_:I didn't _ask_ to be a Herald, you know.:_

Jaydan snorted. _:You want to give me up, then?:_

Zach rolled his eyes and the lighter flicked open and closed again. _:Of course not.:_

_:Then stop complaining.:_

Jaydan faded out, and he wondered again why he'd be blessed with such a sarcastic Companion. Still, what the stallion had said was more than true—he wouldn't have given up either Jaydan or being a Herald for anything: there was nothing else he was ever want to do with his life.

…though…

His eyes surveyed the slaughter in front of him and he shook his head sadly. _Days like this I wish Jay had never waltzed his white ass into my life at all._

_:Thanks for that.:_

Before he could answer, a ringing made him turn his attention to the cell phone he was carrying in his coat pocket. Zach plucked it out and excused himself to the hallway to answer it, leaving the two Guards who had been called to the scene first to watch over the room until he returned, hopefully with the CSI team they were waiting for.

The phone flipped open in his free hand with a click. "Hoffner here."

_"Where the hell are you, Hoffner?"_ The voice belonged to his boss, and he winced unconsciously, something that Jaydan echoed in the back of his mind, possibly because Jyotika was giving him the same treatment that her Chosen was bestowing upon Zach at the moment. _"You were supposed to be back here an hour ago!"_

"I know." Zach replied flatly, "but the crime scene team aren't here yet and I don't want to leave until they arrive."

_"The Guard can handle it."_ Herald-Commissioner Gallagher snapped, _"so get your butt back here now. Your new partner just got here from Circuit, and it's about time you started showing her the ropes."_

"Her?"

_"Just do it, Hoffner! Unless you want to see your Whites hung up to dry already."_

Zach didn't really take him seriously, as Gallagher resorted to threats over everything. Still, he knew the faster he started showing the new recruit how things worked the faster—she—would get past the "getting in the way while he was investigating" phase.

"Yes, sir."

The phone dropped back into his pocket silently and he flicked the lighter closed. The flame vanished and this time it joined the phone as he gave the Guards the rundown of what was happening and left the building.

_:You seem upset.:_

_:Really?:_ He replied to Jaydan's annoying comment. _:Why is it that I'm always the one to train the new Heralds?:_

_:I don't know, Chosen.:_ The Companion told him, _:could it be because you always drive your partners into early retirement? If you could be _civil_ to them, they'd stick around longer and maybe someone else could train the new recruits sometimes.:_

Zach chose not to respond to that, and started down the street toward his car, the rain pouring down around him. Back in the Field next to the Station, Jaydan was giving a tired sigh and deciding he would never change the man, no matter how he tried.

_A perfect way to end a perfect damn day._


	2. Chapter One

**Disclaimer:** Valdemar and concepts belong to Mercedes Lackey; this fic and original characters belong to their author.

**"Zach" Notes:** Let's talk about Zach so you guys can (hopefully) enjoy him on the same level I do! So! My friend Zachie is supposed to be the epitome of a Crime-Drama private eye/cop. He curses with the best of them, wears a trench coat over his Whites, has a nervous habit of playing with a lighter, is the kind of guy who has pictures of murder victims from his cases adorning his walls instead of pinups, has no family or friends to speak of, drinks by himself in a seedy bar, has a head that produces random sexist comments and probably chain smokes in his spare time. That is how he's _supposed to be_! That's how I designed him, that's how I want him, and (believe it or not) that's why I adore him. Because he's a living cliché in every sense of the word! What's not to love? lol.

**A DANGEROUS PASTIME**  
**Chapter One  
By Senashenta**

The figure, cloaked in a long coat and scarf, was gloating, proud as it walked down the bustling streets of Valdemar's Capital city—it had taken a chance and done something it had always dreamed of doing… and it had felt good. Very, very good.

Down the road, the swarm of Guards continued to mill aimlessly around the hotel. Now that the Herald had left, they seemed to have no direction. They were just waiting around for someone else to come and tell them what to do, and the person behind the masking scarf could only scoff at their utter and obvious stupidity. They couldn't do a thing without a Herald or two around to give orders: after all, that might require brain power and you couldn't use what you didn't have.

_As intelligent as sheep and just as independent._

The thought was accompanied by a smirk, and a hand raised for sharp eyes to look down at long and nimble fingers. In a twisted imagination, the slick coating of blood that had been there only a candlemark before reappeared. Whore's blood, not the blood of an innocent, and that was a big difference. The deities above didn't condone the slaughter of innocents. But a street prostitute… she had just been asking for it, and she obviously hadn't been someone the Gods were all too worried about.

_I did the world a favor by getting rid of her._

And it would happen again, too…

It had been a good day.

o-o-o-o-o

Zach slammed the door to his office with a bang and then kicked it for good measure, the sound echoing like a drum in the enclosed space. He had just come from a meeting with Herald-Commissioner Gallagher, and those never ended well—but what made them even worse was that they also had the unfortunate side effect of putting him into a _very_ crabby mood, much like the one he was in now.

The sound he uttered as he dropped into his chair was not unlike an animal growl, and he felt Jaydan at the edge of his mind as the stallion attempted to decide if he was going to chance asking what the problem was.

_:Chosen__…:_

_:What__?!:_ He snapped.

Jaydan winced. _:What's__ wrong?:_

_:What__ the hell do you think?!:_ Zach spat, then sighed and shook his head, plucking a pencil from his desk. He twirled it in his fingers, watching the ridges spin, and brooded angrily. _:Goddamn__ Gallagher's on my case again, and I've got about three minutes until my new _partner _arrives.:_

The Companion sent the feeling of Rolling Eyes. _:Why, pray tell, is Commissioner Gallagher "on your case" this time?:_

_:My__ lack of respect, the fact that I was late getting back here, the fact that I don't want a new partner at all.:_ Angry, he flung the pencil violently and it bounced off the bookshelves. _:Take__ your pick, Jay. It's always the same crap, day in and day out.:_

_:You__ forgot your attitude.:_ Jaydan reminded him helpfully. _:And you know, if you were a bit more—:_

"Don't even say it, horse!" He growled out loud, making sure to Send his feelings very clearly in Jaydan's direction, and the Companion seemed to finally realize just how upset he was, wisely choosing silence over more commentary.

He'd had it mentioned, offhand but more than once and by more than one person, that it was a wonder Jaydan didn't repudiate him, never mind that he had been Chosen to begin with. And considering his temper, when he was in a contemplative mood, he was amazed by it as well. But beneath his inherently bad disposition and general snappishness, he loved Jaydan. In fact, the stallion was probably the only thing he had actually _loved_ in years.

_Gods.__ I don't even remember when my life went so far downhill._

Blowing a heavy breath out of his mouth, Zach leaned back in his chair and slammed his feet up onto the desk, then crossed his arms behind his head and stared broodingly at the backside of the door with no intention of moving unless it was under pressure from a loaded pistol, preferably being held by a complete maniac.

Or possibly Gallagher…

_He'd just blow my brains out to get me out from underfoot._

An exaggeration, of course. He and Herald Gallagher didn't get along—hell, they barely managed to respect each other at all, never mind retain a shred of decency when in each other's company—but his boss was more than aware of his skills as a Herald and detective in general. Though he never boasted, as it wasn't in his personality to do so, Zach was the best member of the force and he knew it.

And so did Gallagher, which was the only reason he hadn't been fired already. Well, that and the fact that he was Chosen, so like it or not he was a Herald until he died, though Gallagher could have had him transferred to another city if he'd really wanted.

_And then the number of solved murders in Haven would be cut in half._ Zach thought with a bit of smugness, _so I'm stuck here until my luck runs out or Jaydan decides _he's _had enough of me… though I doubt he'd want to put _himself _through that, even if he didn't mind doing it to _me_._

_:Don't__ think that.:_ Jaydan's voice snapped suddenly, _:don't _ever _think that.:_

Surprised, Zach blinked for a second before scowling. _:You know I don't mean that, Jay!:_

Jaydan snorted, fading again, and the man went back to studying the back side of his door sourly.

_A pain in the ass boss, a sarcastic horse and a _blinding _white uniform._ He thought with a mental snarl,_ what else could I possibly want?_

o-o-o-o-o

_:You're__ Jaydan, aren't you?:_

The voice was unfamiliar, but then there had been a lot of Unfamiliar Voices out across Valdemar to accommodate the city's growth. The Field just kept getting smaller and smaller.

Blinking, Jaydan turned to look at the speaker, who was watching him from a few feet away with intelligent crystal eyes. After a pause, during which he unconsciously sized her up—a habit he had picked up from Zach, no doubt—he flicked his ears and replied; _:yes, I'm Jaydan, and you are—?:_

_:Najila__.:_ The mare supplied, bobbing her head in greeting. _:My Herd leader told me to speak to Rolan when I got to Haven, and he would tell me who I was to be partnered with.:_ She blinked, nodding back toward the main Field where the bulk of the Haven Herd was either grazing or socializing amiably. _:Anyway__, Rolan says it's you.:_

It didn't take Jaydan long to realize Najila's Chosen would be Zach's new partner, and the sudden understanding made him take another long look at her. She was a little shorter than the average Companion, thin and graceful looking, and certainly healthy. _Quite the lovely mare._He noted, then flicked his tail restlessly. _:What__ Herd are you from, if you're not of Haven? Forchin or Endercott?:_

_:Forchin__.:_ Najila took his pathetic attempt at conversation as a welcome of sorts and wandered the few steps between them to stand beside him. _:I was born there, too… one of the first Official births in the New Herd after it split off from Haven.:_

_:Native__ to a New Herd, then.:_ Jaydan nodded, _:you're of a relatively sparse breed, Najila. I'm of the Haven Herd, myself. I've lived here all my life… the only time I've been elsewhere was when I went On Search, and when my Chosen__ received his Whites.:_

She was silent for a long moment, gazing off at the Palace. It rose, majestic spirals up in the sky, obelisk white, silver and blue against the backdrop of Companion's Field. The Palace was the only part of the Old Haven that really existed anymore. The rest of the city was townhouses, apartment buildings and shopping centers. Even the Collegium had been changed: because of space complications the Bardic and Healers Collegiums had been moved to other cities, namely Forchin and Endercott respectively, to coincide with the creation of the New Companion Herds—and the White Winds school had been exiled to the outskirts of Haven years before.

_:Do__ you ever get bored here?:_ She asked eventually. _:I mean, there's not a lot of room and there doesn't seem to be much to do…:_

Jaydan gave a mental Raised Eyebrow. _:Boredom__ isn't an option when you're Soul is super-glued to the most trouble-inviting Herald in existence.:_ A huge sigh. He couldn't help it. _:When I'm not dancing on eggshells to keep Commissioner Gallagher from hanging him from the nearest tree, I'm running off to save his ugly rump from random arsonists, thugs, and even the occasional mass murderer.:_

Najila blinked at him. _:You__ weren't in on that South Side Massacre, were you?:_

_:Hock deep.:_ Jaydan informed her dryly, _:Zach decided he didn't need backup… which, by the Unwritten Rule of the Cosmos, meant that there were _three _of them, all armed to the teeth, and he knocked over a trash can on his way into the building.:_

She was still giving him a slightly skeptical look, _:a trash can?:_

_:Well__… two trash cans.:_ Embarrassed, he made a funny coughing noise, _:and a stack of cardboard boxes.:_

_:Oh__.:_ Najila's nose twitched and when Jaydan eyed her suspiciously, she rolled her eyes skyward, flicking her ears with an innocent air. _:I'm__ pleased to say that my Faith isn't that clumsy, even if she's just as headstrong.:_

So Zach's new partner was named Faith. The stallion stored that bit of information away and lapsed into silence, reaching his mind out to see if his Chosen was a bit calmer, or if he was still in his "raving lunatic" state of mind. A tentative touch didn't end with Zach snapping and him reeling, so he assumed the man had managed to rant himself through his anger at Herald-Commissioner Gallagher.

Which could be either good or bad, depending on Zach's current state of mind. He tended to bottle up his emotions if he didn't want to deal with them. Usually, it was things like angst and grief that he shut up, but rage snuck in there on the occasion as well. Either way, Jaydan wasn't about to go sorting through his brain to find out.

Of course, he already knew that Zach was thinking about getting himself repudiated. Or about being repudiated. Or that everyone else thought he _should be_ repudiated—

The Companion found himself getting annoyed and stamped a hoof restlessly. No one outside of the pair of them seemed to understand the nuances of their relationship, and that statement didn't just include the other Heralds and the general Guard. In fact, the other Companions didn't understand why in the hell he had ever Chosen Zach to begin with either, and everyone and their brother—with the sole exception of Rolan—had told him before that he had wasted his Choice.

_Wasted_ his Choice!

They seemed to have decided he was completely daft. Or, they had decided that about a year after he had brought Zach back to the Collegium, when he had managed to alienate every one of his schoolmates and most of the Heralds in the compound. He didn't have friends, he didn't visit his family, and the only person he spent any significant time with was Jaydan—and even then they just kind of stood together.

Jaydan would admit that he and Zach didn't have the same kind of touchy-feely relationship that most Herald-Companion pairs had, but they were the best of friends and he was the only real family Zach had.

_:Jaydan__—?:_

He jumped, shaken out of his wayward train of thought by Najila's somewhat unexpected voice. He had forgotten about her, in all his internal muttering. _:I__ was just thinking…:_ tipping his head, he looked at the mare with more than a little doubt, _:your Chosen… she isn't the overly-emotional type, is she? Likely to cry much?:_

_:I__ don't think so.:_ Najila gave the impression of a Raised Eyebrow. _:Why?:_

_:You__ have to have a thick skin to work with Zach,:_ Jaydan explained, _:he's already driven off half a dozen partners… I was just wondering.:_ With a sigh, he sniffed and shifted his tail, _:hopefully she can handle him, because I don't think I want to switch partners too many more times. It's starting to get frustrating.:_

The mare nodded, _:I__ can imagine.:_

o-o-o-o-o

Zach sulked.

He tended to do that a lot. Indeed, it was one reason why he kept the door to his office incessantly closed. He'd learned long ago that his mood swings put the other Heralds on edge. Tension was at an all-time high whenever it was open, though keeping it closed drew a certain amount of curiosity from the younger and inexperienced members of the force.

He could still feel Jaydan in the back of his head.

Of course, he could _always_ feel the stallion to one extent or another, but what he was feeling now was that Jay was having a conversation with someone else. Probably another Companion, he figured, since Jaydan didn't make a habit of Bespeaking people randomly (like some Companions he knew.)

Still muttering to himself, Zach moved his feet off of the desk and dropped them to the floor before heading over to retrieve his pencil. He'd snapped at Jaydan, and though he did it often enough, he always felt a bit guilty afterward.

The Companion certainly had his hands full, when it came to him, Zach decided with a sigh.

_Probably, he's as tired of my mood swings as I am._

And yet, somehow, he couldn't get himself to grow out of them—and considering his age, it was becoming a slim possibility anyway.

Stooping, he picked up the pencil from the floor and dropped it onto the desk, then slumped down into his chair once again, closing his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest and tipping his head toward the ceiling.

…if he hadn't been Chosen, what would he have done with his life?

Has father had been a lawyer and his mother a psychiatrist… both science oriented, but he'd had no interest in those fields. For a while when he was young, he had toyed with the idea of being a psychologist—_him!_ A _Psychologist!_ It was a laughable idea, really, considering his temper general lack of patience.

Most likely, had Jaydan not danced himself into his life, he'd have joined the Guard anyway… he just seemed suited to do something that required a bit of combat now and then—or, as with his own track record, a _lot_.

It wasn't that he went out of his _way_ to get himself and Jaydan into trouble, exactly. It was more that trouble had a way of pouncing on him at the most inopportune moments—and quite a bit more often than with any other Herald, at least any other Herald in Haven. He couldn't say for sure about the rest of Valdemar, as he was and always had been stationed at the Capital.

_Hell, my Circuit was less exciting than half the things I've been in on since._

Granted, he'd had Herald Harlen and Myyr to keep him out of trouble then, but considering first Circuits were normally the most dangerous part of any given Herald's life, he often found it surprising that his had been as terribly uneventful as it had.

And then he'd been assigned to the Homicide division of the Collegium and things had become _interesting_.

_:I__ could be worse,:_ Jaydan noted vaguely, still obviously engrossed in something else, _:you could have a desk job like Gallagher. Besides, you're about the luckiest S.O.B. that ever lived. No one else could've survived _half _as much as you and __I.__:_

_:Vanyel__ did.:_

_:That__ was centuries ago!:_

_:Still__, he did.:_

_:Fine__.:_

Finally, he cracked a smile. Winning against the stallion always lightened his mood—

—and then his door banged open.

"Hoffner!" Gallagher snapped, hand still on the doorknob, "your partner's arrived."

"Fan-bloody-tastic." Zach replied with a semi-contained glare, "so?"

Gallagher raised an eyebrow and then turned his head, "if you please, Miss Kaden."

"Um, sure." A bit of nervousness in the youngish voice, and a woman brushed past the Herald-Commissioner to stand just inside the doorway.

Blonde hair, pulled into a half-ponytail.

Pristine new Whites, which she tugged at uncomfortably.

And sparkling emerald green eyes, which met his without fear or hesitation—

_Gods._ His throat felt frozen, and he cleared it without thinking. _She's…_

A Goddess? He couldn't say that! Not only was it blasphemy, but it would have Gallagher laughing hysterically for the next decade _and_ she was a good half his age. Besides, he had to work with the girl for the next who-knew-how-long—at least until she decided she was sick of him and his attitude in general. He had to keep himself in check, no matter how lovely she was.

She offered a tentative smile, "heyla… I'm Faith Kaden."

Gallagher was smirking, damn him.

"Zaccheus Hoffner." He grunted shortly, and left it at that.


End file.
